PHOTO: The Straits Times

Three months after giving birth to her first child here, Taiwanese actress Sonia Sui was back in the country to attend the Singapore International Film Festival.

And it was hard to tell she was a new mum, just by looking at her.

Dressed in a chic white-and-black gown with cut-outs at the waist, the former model was stunningly svelte last night on the red carpet at Marina Bay Sands, where she and other stars kicked off the festival.

With her were Malaysian actress Yeo Yann Yann and Taiwanese film-maker Lee Chung, her co-star and director respectively in the horror-drama The Laundryman, which will be screening at the festival. Other stars spotted included local stars Julie Tan and Zhang Zhenhuan.

The Taiwanese film Panay, about a woman who returns to her hometown to look after her sick father, opened the festival.

26th Singapore International Film Festival

Over the next 1½ weeks, more international film-makers and stars are due to make red carpet appearances to promote their films screening at the festival. They include British actor Dev Patel of Slumdog Millionaire (2008) fame, for the film The Man Who Knew Infinity, and Japanese porn star Nishino Shou, for home-grown director Eric Khoo's latest offering In The Room.

The festival, in its 26th edition, runs until Dec 6 and features 146 films from 51 countries. New local works will be showcased in the Singapore Panorama section, which this year features Green Zeng's The Return, and Eva Tang's The Songs We Sang, among others.

On Sunday next week, the Silver Screen Awards, the awards ceremony arm of the festival, will see the Cinema Legend Award, a new award introduced this year to honour an Asian actor, being presented to Malaysian actress Michelle Yeoh.

yipwy@sph.com.sg

This article was first published on Nov 27, 2015. Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories.